Priceless (TV series)

Priceless
Poster
GenreDrama
Directed bySuzuki Masayuki, Hirano Shin
StarringTakuya Kimura
Theme music composerSato Naoki
Ending themeJumpin' Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones)
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons1
Production
ProducersMakino Tadashi, Murase Ken
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time54 minutes
Production companyFuji TV
Original release
NetworkFuji TV
ReleaseOctober 22 (2012-10-22) –
December 24, 2012 (2012-12-24)

Priceless: Aru Wake Nedaro, Nnamon! (PRICELE$S〜あるわけねぇだろ、んなもん!〜, lit. PRICELE$S: There's no such thing!) is a Japanese television series which premiered on Fuji TV on October 22, 2012. This television series stars Takuya Kimura as Fumio Kindaichi, a salaryman who gets fired from his company after he was accused of being involved in commercial espionage.[1] Coupled with a series of unfortunate accidents, Fumio suddenly loses everything he has and becomes poor.[1]

Plot

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Fumio Kindaichi is a middle management salaryman on good terms with his co-workers. One day, he is suddenly accused of stealing commercial secrets, and is fired by his company. He's even ostracized by his co-workers. Before the end of the day, he has essentially become a homeless and penniless man. Without any idea of how to survive on the streets, he has to settle in for a rough night.

Fumio later learns how to earn some money on the street from two children, brothers, he meets. They lead him to a boarding house that allows him to stay for 500 yen per night. In the struggle to earn this sum of money, Fumio begins to appreciate the worth of money. He also learns that not all precious things in life can be bought with money.

Despite his predicament, Fumio remains an optimistic person, and does not feel bitter over his sudden dismissal. Instead, he helps the people around him with much enthusiasm, without asking for anything in return.

Cast

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Episodes

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Episode title Romanized title Translation of title Broadcast date Ratings[2]
Ep. 1
はじめての貧乏…五百円稼ぐって難しい
Hajimete no binbō… go hyaku-en kasegu tte muzukashī
First time being poor... It is difficult to earn 500 yen
October 22, 2012
16.9%
Ep. 2
貧乏って弱いの?
Binbō tte yowai no?
Being poor is a weakness?
October 29, 2012
18.8%
Ep. 3
1万円のラーメン
1 Man-en no rāmen
The 10,000 yen ramen
November 5, 2012
15.2%
Ep. 4
最後の一人も堕ちてきた
Saigo no hitori mo ochite kita
The last remaining person has also fallen
November 12, 2012
18.4%
Ep. 5
奇跡の始まり
Kiseki no hajimari
The beginning of a miracle
November 19, 2012
15.7%
Ep. 6
日本一の貧乏社長、誕生!
Nihon'ichi no binbō shachō, tanjō!
Japan's first poor company president appears!
November 26, 2012
18.1%
Ep. 7
大逆転
Dai gyakuten
A large reversal
December 3, 2012
17.2%
Ep. 8
さよなら…そして、ありがとう
Sayonara… soshite, arigatō
Goodbye...and thank you
December 10, 2012
20.1%
Ep. 9
最後の戦い〜それぞれの思い
Saigonotatakai 〜 Sorezore No Omoi
The Final Battle: The difference between each person's belief
December 17, 2012
17.4%
Ep. 10
一部生放送スペシャル 聖なる夜に起こす最後の奇跡
Ichibu namahōsō supesharu seinaru yoru ni okosu saigo no kiseki
Special live broadcast: The last miracle of the holy night.
December 24, 2012
18.7%
Ratings for Kanto region (average rating: 17.71%)[2]

Reception

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The first episode of Priceless had the third-highest viewership rating of all Autumn 2012 Japanese television drama debut episodes with a rating of 16.9% in the Kanto region, behind Aibou 11 (with a rating of 19.9%) and Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon (with a rating of 18.6%).[3] This marks the first time that a drama starring actor Takuya Kimura had debuted with a rating of less than 20%.[3] This low viewership rating was attributed to the fact that the drama had to compete with a popular baseball match airing concurrently on another television network, which garnered a rating of 20.1% itself.[3]

International broadcast

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It aired in Thailand on Channel 7 beginning April 24, 2015, dubbed as Yodchai Naiyajok . ("ยอดชาย นายยาจก", literally: Super Beggar).[4] In Sri Lanka, it began airing in October 2016 on WakuWaku Japan with English subtitles under the title, Priceless: Is There Such a Thing.

References

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  1. ^ a b キムタク、月9で新境地"極貧男子". Sankei Digital Inc (in Japanese). 2012-08-14. Archived from the original on 2012-08-17. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  2. ^ a b "Show schedule and ratings". Audience Rating Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  3. ^ a b c キムタク主演「PRICELESS」16・9%発進 今クール3番手. Sankei Digital Inc (in Japanese). 2012-10-23. Archived from the original on 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  4. ^ "ละคร Priceless : ยอดชาย นายยาจก". siamzone.com (in Thai). 5 September 2015.
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Preceded by
Rich Man, Poor Woman
(9/7/2012 - 17/9/2012)
Fuji TV Getsu 9 Drama Series
月曜9時枠の連続ドラマ
Mondays 21:00 - 21:54 (JST)
Succeeded by
Biblia Koshodō no Jiken Techō
(January 2013 - March 2013)